(7)

Five years passed, five dreadful years for him after her departure.

She didn't return, nor did he force her.

In the whole five years, he spoke to her only once that too when she landed in Canada. After that, no communication happened between them. His family visited her from time to time, talks to her every weekend but neither did he find the courage nor did she showed any intentions to communicate to him.

Her departure shattered him. She took off but her smell remained in their room which used to make him anguished and bummed out. Sleep became a distant friend to him which comes once in a while. Her parting left a deep cut in his heart which was bleeding till this day.

Zara was living in the same misery. Despite indulging herself in studies and work, Affan never left her mind for once.

His anger and her stubbornness led them where they are today. He enunciated something which he didn't imply and her head hardness stopped her from giving him a second chance.

Both did wrong to each other, both did wrong to their relation. History is witness that no relation can work without communication and every association cannot take a step further with having outrage and obstinacy concerns.

These five years had a drastic effect on his personality. His meaningless affairs vanished into thin air, his radiant identity drowned deep down in his heart, the man becomes stern and stiff - both the quality he used to hate.

After her, Affan Sikander didn't look up to any girl. She was and will be the only one for her.

Unfortunately, this realization hit him when she left. As his anger caused the main rift between them, Affan now swore to himself to keep himself calm in every situation rather than rambling unpredictable things.

He was sitting in his office, proofreading the file when his brother's call alerted him.

His brother's frantic voice reached his ears. "Affan, where are you? The function started an hour ago. Everyone is asking about you."

"I forgot, I was in a meeting." Rubbing his weary red eyes, he answered his brother.

It was the Henna ceremony of their cousin and Affan had zero interest to attend. He didn't want to meet all those fake relatives who were only attending for getting free food and gossiping about everything and anything.

The silence from his brother's side disturbed him and after heaving an exhausted sigh, he spoke once again.

"I'll be there soon." He knew his mother's constant calls would eventually make him surrender. Despite his lack of enthusiasm, he left his office expressionless.

Affan took over his father's enormous company after graduating. Business always comes easy to him and after a lot of hard work, he showed his father that he was capable enough to handle the company.

Parking his car, he sauntered towards the vast lawn where the ceremony was organized.

Greeting everyone with rigidness, he settled at the back and indulged his attention in using his phone.

Dressed in white shalwar kameez, sleeves folded till elbow, a black wristwatch clasped in his wrist. Affan Sikander looked graceful yet unapproachable.

He was answering some emails when he felt a tiny hand adorned with multicolored bangles tapping on his bicep.

He looked up and a huge grin settled on his lips after seeing his niece.

"Mirha."

Affan held the five-year-old in his lap and kissed her cheek affectionately.

"Why did you come so late?" The little girl asked innocently.

"I had work." He gazed at his niece with tenderness.

To show her unhappiness, the little girl crossed her arms. She pouted and squinted her eyes in bitterness.

"It's my birthday and nobody is giving me any attention." A chuckle left his mouth, the little girl narrowed her eyes at her uncle.

"We celebrated your birthday yesterday and everyone gave you attention, haven't they?"

Mirha scoffed and shook her little head, her brown wavy strands moved with it.

"My birthday is today it was not yesterday, they ruined my day with their boring function."

"You are right this function is boring, even I didn't want to come, they truly ruined my Mirhu's day." Satisfied with his response, the little girl nodded at him delighted.

The little one used to remind him of Zara. Her witty comebacks, her mood swings, and her beautiful smile were the same as Zara.

After Zara, Mirha filled the void in the family.

The little girl was scowling and was complaining about the boring function.

Both of them were engrossed in the conversation when Zarrar came interrupting them.

"Affan, can you do me a favor?"

Affan pinched the bridge of his nose knowing that the favor of his brother would surely make him get up from his seat, nonetheless, he nodded.

"Can you go to the airport to receive some guests?"

"There are so many drivers, ask them."

Frowning, he replied.

"We can't, it would look disrespectful, they are special guests." Zarrar tossed another statement to convince his brother.

"What do you mean disrespectful? just ask the driver to receive them." He was not in the mood of driving an hour to receive some bratty relative.

However, one glare from his brother was enough for him to surrender.

"Baba, can I go with Chachu?"

Batting her eyelashes, the little girl looked at her father innocently.

Leaving Affan's lap, Mirha jogged towards her father to ask his permission.

Zarrar was hesitant at first but approved her wish. For him, the hardest thing in the world was to refuse his daughter's demands.

And after an hour, they both reached the airport, due to the night there was no great crowd.

According to his brother, the guest would recognize him and he just had to stand and wait for them. He scoffed at that. Guessing it would be some old distant aunt of his, he shook his head in a grimace.

Mirha's little hand was clutched in his. The girl was not showing any sign of exhaustion even after a long drive.

He again checked the time. The flight had been landed half an hour ago but still, there was no sign of any of the bratty guests.

Taking the phone out of his pocket, he started to answer the emails, after about a minute he felt Mirha leaving his hand and running while screaming.

"Zaru."

He gazed at the two girls who were hugging each other tightly. One girl came with him and the other girl was the 'so-called guest.'

It was Zara, his breath hitched making his heart thump abruptly. After five painful years, she was standing in front of him.

His brother tricked him, there was no unknown guest, it was Zara whom he was receiving.

Gulping, Affan gazed at her who looked the same to him, nothing in her features changed except for her hair which grew longer.

Finally, after meeting Mirha, Zara's stare clashed with him who was standing like a dead corpse, staring at her without blinking.

It was also a surprise to her, she knew they would have an encounter, but she didn't expect that the first one whom she would greet would be him.

Both stood motionless, peering at each unblinking until Mirha's voice reach their ears.

"Why are you staring at each other? Are you both playing a staring game that you didn't tell me?" Both of them looked down at the little girl who was pouting dissatisfied.

Zara was the first one to speak, ignoring the little girl's statement. "Mirha, can you hold this bag for me? It's quite heavy." She handed the weightless bag to the little girl to divert her attention from them.

He held her suitcase silently and both of the girls followed him to his car. The whole way back home, both of them didn't utter anything to each other, Mirha was enough to fill the silence.

When they reached home, he silently pulled out her suitcase yanking it inside the house.

Everybody reached home after attending the ceremony and was now waiting for them.

Their gaze clashed for a second nonetheless both of them avoided each other's stare. Taking a step together they both entered the house.